


Neon Chinatown, Soft Serve Kisses

by Lady_Iwaizumi



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Aesthetics, Bad Boys, Character Development, Crimes & Criminals, Crushes, Developing Relationship, Domestic Violence, First Dates, First Meetings, Friendship/Love, Homelessness, Humor, Ice Cream, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Past Abuse, Poverty, Protectiveness, Teasing, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, awww, mhmm, neon lights, shorter makes it all better, shorter protect but he also attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-01 11:36:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16764355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Iwaizumi/pseuds/Lady_Iwaizumi
Summary: “See?” Shorter pointed across to the Chinese letters. “Aren’t they still pretty?”The boys stared up at the signs, zoning in on the water droplets dripping down their heat, doing nothing to stop the bright tones from giving the sidewalk below some light. The entire street was lined with different patterns of the rainbow, and Eiji was a bit shocked—of all the nights he spent roaming these streets, how had he not noticed those warm hues, those aesthetically pleasing glowing orbs? A quiet sigh escaped his warm lips as he silently agreed with Shorter.“Yeah,” Eiji nodded with a tiny smile. “I guess you’re right.”“Aren’t I always?”Little Eiji Okumura just wanted a place where he could think in peace and be protected by the rain; one night of hiding from the world in an already claimed spot turns into a rollercoaster of blurry neon lights for Eiji with Chinatown's gang leader, his idol and hero, the colorful Shorter Wong.





	Neon Chinatown, Soft Serve Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> I loveeeeeeee every character in Banana Fish, but Shorter has a special place in my heart. He's just so genuinely nice to people he likes!!! I hope you enjoy this cute aesthetic fic of how Eiji finally meets his gang crush Shorter Wong and ends up...going on an ice cream date? Comment, kudos and bookmarks greatly appreciated!  
> Love,  
> Bodhi

Life had not been very kind to Eiji Okumura so far.

He was born from an affair on his mother’s part with a Japanese man, which put him at odds with her Chinese husband and Eiji’s half-sister resulting in many years of stress and family tension that was only temporarily resolved when Eiji let himself be beat on now and then by _both_ his parents, not to mention, the other side of the family (the entire community of Chinatown, it seemed like) who dubbed Eiji a blood-traitor because of his Japanese genes. To think, his father didn’t know about the affair until his son reached the age of thirteen and his facial features started taking on a “different kind of Asian” expression, or so the Chinese man said…you’d think all those years of father-son time would have softened the blow a little. No. Eiji’s father hated his guts. He wasn’t sure why his mother didn’t get an abortion if she hated him just as equally, but nothing could be done about that now—Eiji was alive, and through the years of poverty and unfair living circumstances he developed a sense of quiet pride only naïve little punks could have. As it turns out, this characteristic would be his only ally for many years to come, pushing him to persevere and collect enough bravery to eventually run away from his increasingly dangerous home life. If his own family didn’t want him around, he would find a different family, where he would prove his worth and be accepted as a valuable member of their clan. Before Eiji ran away, he already decided he would join the Chinatown mafia if it became clear his mother and father didn’t want him around—this would be no easy feat, not in the slightest, and many nights the boy would lie awake wondering if a Japanese kid had ever made it into a different racial gang alive. This worry didn’t bother him nearly as much as his family’s hatred for him did; shortly after Eiji turned fifteen, he saw the light and left home in the dark of the night, taking only his athletic ability and poor self-defense skills along as he set out into the underworld of Manhattan.

Thankfully, instead of killing Eiji in cold blood, the lower-ranked Chinese soldiers of the Chinatown mafia laughed and basically dared him to join them, taking bets on how long he would last. The dark-haired boy took it all in stride, allowing their insults and keeping to himself for most of the time—it wasn’t like he wanted to become a boss or anything. Eiji just wanted an association with people who would stand-up for him once in a while; at first, it was out of his own physical and mental weakness, but the longer he spent being homeless and roaming Manhattan, the more Eiji’s spirit hardened around his fragile soul, the more he wanted to not just be protected by a gang, but to do some protecting himself. At the very least, he lasted longer than any of the other boys predicted. A small victory, but one he would gladly take with a smile.

Today had been a pretty successful summer day for the spunky fifteen-year-old; he managed to scramble up enough change to buy a sandwich and a pop, had improved in his self-defense moves (kinda) and went an entire day without running into any of his family members. His little sister wasn’t so bad to see (she had yet to develop a prejudice against her brother for his race, being too like Eiji himself), but any time Eiji accidentally ran into his mother or father…well, things didn’t end well. There was a reason he was homeless at age fifteen. It didn’t bother the emotional little punk at first, but it was difficult trying to raise in ranking through the Chinese mafia when his current living situation was so pathetic; a solid home foundation was crucial in recovering from workouts, stood as an emotional crutch that Eiji could never seem to find no matter where he lived. Never the less, Eiji was doing well on his own until the early summer weather report came in the first week of June:

“This summer Manhattan will have its wettest season yet, and we’re expecting a lot of rain coming down a few times every week or so; the first rain will be here sometime Friday near ten at night…”

Eiji had only been roaming the streets of Chinatown for three weeks before he received that terrible news. He hoped things would be sorted out with his family before winter came, but he wasn’t holding his breath; tonight, before the rain came splashing down from those darkening clouds hovering above the Manhattan bridge he was currently sleeping under, Eiji would take a moment to enjoy his first full meal in two days. His signature orange-colored letterman’s jacket was hanging over his shoulders loosely, allowing his elbows to move around as he politely devoured his sub, savoring the smoky taste of turkey and the sour flavor of the Japanese pickles in case he never got a chance to eat again. The waves were quietly slushing against large rocks below his designated area, a peaceful noise compared to the hustle and bustle of the cars above, zooming by without realizing a boy was eating his dinner underneath them.

 _I wonder how long it would take me to save up for some good Asian food_ , Eiji thought to himself, munching on his bite like a chipmunk. _Chang Dai always has good food. Nadia’s always really nice, too…but Mom and Dad go there once in a while, so I shouldn’t risk it. I would starve from saving my money for that long, anyway. Oh well! I’ll just enjoy my sandwich now and tomorrow I ca—_

“Oy…what are you doing in my spot, kid?”

Eiji froze mid-chew, slowly turning his head right in hopes that the voice he heard didn’t belong to the person he thought it did; his hopes were both shattered and relieved when the rising leader of the Chinese mafia himself, the tough-ass _Shorter Wong_ was revealed to be standing five-feet away, staring down at Eiji like he was an ant sitting in his path. A piece of lettuce fell from the short-haired boy’s mouth stupidly, but he just couldn’t stop _staring_ —Shorter Wong was a feared street fighter, a colorful, cool guy of sixteen who roamed his streets of Chinatown and Eiji’s ultimate idol. He practically worshipped the ground Shorter stood on, admired the bad-ass teen from afar and longed to be as good a fighter as him someday. The coolest person in the entire world was standing before Eiji, purple mohawk styled up, hands in his jean pockets and pierced eyebrow cocked while he waited for an audible response from the boy hanging out in his spot. To be fair, Shorter hadn’t been there for weeks, but he was a busy guy and didn’t always get a moment to unwind anymore, though that didn’t mean someone could just take his hang-out spot with no consequences.

“Sh— _Shorter-san_!” Eiji mumbled over his food in surprise, eyes gaping at the older boy. It occurred to him in a rush of anxiety that he was still sitting, which was disrespectful while in the presence of another of higher rank than he; Eiji hurriedly swallowed his food and went to stand. “I—I—I’m sorry, I didn’t know this was your spot. I’ll get going right away!”

“Hold it.”

Eiji froze again once he stood up, sandwich still in hand as Shorter paused his getaway; despite his high esteem for the older boy, Eiji couldn’t just let himself be small and stood with his chest out proudly while the other slowly walked closer, looking the boy up and down with a curious gaze. Eiji watched his eyes through those dark sunglasses, heart pounding from being so close to Chinatown’s leader…his frame was even thicker up-close, vest doing nothing to hide his broad chest and shoulders, emphasized by his darker skin tone that shed even more light on the muscles of his neck. That familiar voice spoke again, addressing the fairly athletic kid standing in front of him with interest laced in his words.

“You’re new, aren’t you?” Shorter questioned. “I think I heard your cousin mention you a while back.”

“He’s…more of a half-cousin,” The other boy corrected, eyes darkening a bit. “I’m Eiji Okumura.”

“Japanese? That makes sense, actually…you two are nothing alike.”

“Really?!” Eiji squeaked, brightening up. “You really mean that?!”

He hadn’t meant to make the other laugh, but he did, and watched in awe as a smile illuminated the other features of Shorter’s face. It was quite an amazing sight to see, a mafia boss laughing; the sight was enough to make Eiji loosen-up a bit as well.

“You little shit,” Shorter chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Eiji’s black hair up playfully. _Senpai touched my head!_ “Though knowing your cousin, I understand your excitement. Why aren’t you with him now? I think he was about to head over for a family dinner or something; it’s getting late, so boys like you should probably be in bed.”

Eiji’s cheeks flushed despite his desperate attempts to stop them, and his grip on the sandwich tightened when he thought of his so-called home.

“We’re not that close,” Eiji informed the other with a frown, voice lowering. The expression didn’t suit his happy features. “I don’t live with them anymore, anyhow…”

“Oh. You live with your…other real parent, then? The Japanese guy?”

Shorter had already heard Eiji’s runaway situation mentioned once before, but having never met the kid before today he couldn’t confirm its truth; he watched the boy’s flickering dark eyes carefully, observing how the pride never hid itself no matter what painful topic had been brought up. It was admirable in a boy so youthful and innocent looking.

“No,” Eiji shook his head. He said no more on the subject, letting their current scene speak for itself: there was a backpack sitting on the rock behind where Eiji had been sitting, a blanket and a water bottle beside it, along with a small first-aid kit and a school book of some kind. At least he was still going to school, unlike a lot of the boys in the Chinatown gang…

“I really didn’t know this was your spot,” The younger boy interrupted Shorter’s conclusion. “I’ll be going, now. Sorry for the inconvenience, Shorter-san.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Shorter waved him off, preventing Eiji from gathering his things. He had a strange pang of sympathy for the kid, him being related to that jerkoff in the soldier rankings… “Technically, none of these rocks have my name on them; I don’t mind sharing with a fellow Asian!”

Eiji wasn’t sure how to respond to such… _flattery_ , but he settled with a short, respectful nod in gratitude, which Shorter seemed surprised at. Usually the young punks in their group were cocky for no reason, even towards someone who could easily beat their ass into the ground—this Japanese kid was proud, but it wasn’t an arrogant type of pride like most youths, and Shorter liked that. He felt a certain amount of trust with him, one he usually didn’t feel towards anyone but Ash and his immediate family; if another boy had been caught stealing Shorter’s spot because he was homeless and a runaway, he probably would have tried fighting Shorter out of embarrassment and gotten his royal ass kicked. Eiji, however…well, honestly, Shorter didn’t think the kid was capable of arguing _or_ starting a fight, but looks could be deceiving. Feeling generous and interested, Shorter flashed the kid another smile and held out his hand.

“I guess I should officially introduce myself: name’s Shorter Wong.”

“I know,” Eiji nodded, shaking his hand firmly despite the amusing size difference. “You’re the Chinatown boss.”

“What about you? Where are you on the scale?”

“Lower ranked soldier. For now.”

“Thinking of taking my job, are we?” Shorter smiled, though this was a different, challenging smile that made Eiji understand why people feared him.

“No thank you,” The Japanese kid shook his head calmly. “I admire you. Plus, I’m way too inexperienced; I think Chinatown would be destroyed within a day if I were leading.”

The taller boy cocked his head to the side curiously. Eiji was certainly an honest one; honesty was hard to find these days, as was the innocent expression on his babyish face. _Kid looks like a friggin wimp_ , Shorter thought. _But his frame reads capable fighter, the right amount of stocky and right amount of leanness…I’ve heard he can jump like there’s no tomorrow. Why the hell is he sleeping under a bridge, though, if he has parents and a little sister at home?_

“Come on—let’s head out,” Shorter said suddenly. “You can leave your stuff here for the time being.”

The dark-haired boy resisted the urge to let his mouth drop open.

“…Um…I don’t know if you’re familiar with Manhattan, but that’s actually not very safe…”

“You’re a spunky one—I like that!” Shorter laughed again, throwing an arm around Eiji while pointing to a small opening behind a large rock to their left. “I usually put my stuff there when I need to hide it; you can come back and get it later, alright?”

“Come back? Where are we going?”

“I’m on an ice cream kick; we’ll get some at that shop right around the corner. You in? My treat!”

 _A night at an ice cream shop with Chinatown’s up and coming mafia boss? HECK YES,_ Eiji thought happily, mood lifting. His joy was killed not a second later when he realized the expression hidden behind Shorter’s sunglasses had a deep understanding of Eiji’s current predicament. He wasn’t sure whether to be severely embarrassed or desperate at the boss’ feet, begging him to find a suitable place for him to stay during winter; if anyone knew of the hiding spot, Eiji was dead where he stood. His clothes would be gone, his knife and books and every other personal belonging he had, not to mention his _homework_ …Shorter wouldn’t lie to him, though, right? This wasn’t just some cruel prank as an initiation into the clan, was it? It wasn’t a joke that would end in Eiji being beaten for his race by the entire Chinatown gang, was it? He really hoped it wasn’t…

“Okay,” Eiji agreed slowly. “…Let me hide my stuff.”

“We should probably hurry into town,” The other boy said thoughtfully, glancing at the sky while flipping his hood up. “It’s supposed to rain in a few minutes.”

Once Eiji had securely hidden all his belongings (save the sandwich, which he finished along the way), Shorter and he went off up the hill, scurrying into the outer rim of Chinatown as little droplets of rain began flittering down from the dark clouds above. Eiji kept up just fine, if not because he was quick then because he was starting to get cold after being pelted with rain drops; by the time they made it to the little café open 24/7 the sky began pouring down on Manhattan. Shorter laughed while they brushed off their wet clothing, saying he was glad his mohawk hadn’t been wetted down—“it wasn’t a pretty sight,” he explained to Eiji. The mafia boss pranced right up to the counter and ordered a hot fudge sundae with extra bananas chunks while Eiji, not wanting to be a jerk and order something spendy, settled with a plain vanilla milkshake, though it became a banana milkshake when Shorter insisted he have a few of his banana slices. Eiji followed with his head down, plopping down on the opposite side of the booth as the boys began digging in, minds soothed by the pelting of the rain against the class beside them, though the younger boy was still feeling shitty about not being able to treat his boss to some ice cream.

“Whoever invented ice cream should be considered a god,” Shorter said blissfully, ignoring the fudge smeared over the corners of his lips. Eiji smiled at the image. “I’ll never get tired of it for as long as I live.”

“Japanese ice cream is good, too…though I think American ice cream is bit more fattening.”

“You’re really Japanese, then?” Shorter asked, licking the fudge stains away. “How the hell did you make it into my gang without anyone taking a shot at your head?”

“W-Well…they said I wouldn’t last a day, but I’ve lasted three weeks, so…I guess they’re letting me stay for a while. If—If it’s okay with you, that is!” Eiji sputtered.

“Jeez, kid, I’m not racist or anything,” The Chinatown boss shrugged. “I just didn’t think you had it in ya. Good going!”

Eiji couldn’t eat his ice cream for a few minutes because of the smile preventing his lips from opening wide. That was probably the nicest thing anyone had said to him in a long, long time. The pair fell into a comfortable silence, nibbling their ice cream as rain continued to pour down outside; the inside of the window fogged up quickly, blurring the neon signs lit-up across the street, turning them into blobs of pretty colors that were still strong enough to send hues through the café’s window and glimmer on the clean table. Eiji slurped the last of his milkshake, getting lost in the picture and almost forgetting he was with his boss eating ice cream…the wet drops did wonders to all the pinks and reds and blue shades, taking away some of their sharpness and replacing it with soft edges. Since it was summer, the sun set near ten o’clock, so there was still a bit of light pushing through the grey clouds, adding to the aesthetic experience—Eiji found himself locked in a dreamy state, chin in his palm sweetly as he watched the lights dance in accordance to the rain drops hitting their window.

“The green reminds me of my friend Ash,” Shorter smiled lightly, slowly moving his hand and watching the green light warp around it. “He has this _crazy_ -beautiful green eyes, you’d swear you were looking at an emerald diamond or something…”

Eiji nodded slightly, and they were quiet for another moment. Cars drove by at slow paces, adding to the light show across the street.

“I don’t know why people think Chinatown is so scary; it’s really colorful at night.”

At that comment Eiji had to snap out of his funk. Shorter of all people should have been aware of Chinatown’s horrors, having lived there for all his life, now being in control over most the young men in the area; sure, in daylight when the sun was shining things didn’t look _so_ intimidating, but Eiji knew from his homeless knowledge that once the sun went down, those neon lights told an entirely different story, twisting the plot so far it was almost unrelated to any other experience Eiji had ever went through. The neon lights turned bright with malice, revealing the horrific nightlife of pimps and murderers outside of the gangs—men cheated and stole, assaulted and attacked…Chinatown was no piece of cake when the sun went down. No matter how pretty those lights were, the Japanese boy wouldn’t let himself be fooled. Not again.

“It’s pretty when the neon lights are blurry.”

Shorter broke his stare to glance over at Eiji’s distant expression with interest; that was the most serious statement he had heard from him yet, and although he wanted to ask what he meant, Shorter decided to switch to a lighter topic.

“You’ve got a track pin on your jacket,” He pointed out, admiring the gold accented pin shaped like a sprinter’s shoe with wings. “You a runner?”

“Ah, no—I’m actually…I’m a good pole vaulter.” Eiji admitted bashfully, the red neon light rushing over his face when he leaned back in the booth. “I mean, I’m not the best, but I’m _almost_ the best in the state.”

“No shit, really?!”

“Mhm.”

Shorter grinned as he leaned back, getting more and more impressed by Chinatown’s newest gang member by the minute.

“Cool.”

“What is?” Eiji questioned curiously.

“You are. The way you carry yourself—it’s cool.”

The Japanese boy created some neon red all by himself as his cheeks blushed deeply, overwhelming his face as he ducked his head with modesty, struggling to find words at the compliment. His own parents had never given him such encouragement, not when he was at the top of his class, not when he placed third at state this year in the pole vault, not when he did the dishes or vacuumed or cleaned the house…to think such a nice phrase would come from a _gang_ _leader_ of all people. Eiji didn’t see that one coming.

“N-No, I’m…I’m not as cool as you…”

“Well of course not, but you’re still _pretty_ cool.”

Eiji’s blush darkened even more, and Shorter let out a loud laugh at the sight, noise echoing through the empty café like they were the only people left on earth. Night officially fell over Chinatown, proven by how much brighter those neon signs became, flickering through the blurry window and illuminating the empty milkshake glass; Eiji knew he had to be going soon if he didn’t want anyone stealing his homework (hopefully it was safe from the rain underneath the bridge and rock), but he was reluctant to make the first move towards the door, not wanting to be disrespectful to Shorter.

“Um…thank you for the ice cream,” Eiji began quietly, fiddling with his fingers. “This was fun.”

“No problem—and hey; thanks for not being a stuck-up little punk. It’s nice to sit with someone and not have to be ‘on’ and shit, you know?”

Eiji nodded frantically, feeling too close to that statement for speaking; Shorter threw his hood back up and stood, prompting the Japanese boy to do the same. He followed after Shorter like a puppy, even as they entered the Chinatown streets in the pouring rain, hiding under the tiny space where they were still sheltered from the moisture. They stood under the cover for a few seconds, checking out the neon signs that had entertained them before, and Shorter was pleased to find they weren’t as scary to him as Eiji imagined.

“See?” Shorter pointed across to the Chinese letters. “Aren’t they still pretty?”

The boys stared up at the signs, zoning in on the water droplets dripping down their heat, doing nothing to stop the bright tones from giving the sidewalk below some light. The entire street was lined with different patterns of the rainbow, and Eiji was a bit shocked—of all the nights he spent roaming these streets, how had he not noticed those warm hues, those aesthetically pleasing glowing orbs? A quiet sigh escaped his warm lips as he silently agreed with Shorter.

“Yeah,” Eiji nodded with a tiny smile. “I guess you’re right.”

“Aren’t I always?”

Shorter stepped out onto the sidewalk, emerging into the rain storm like it didn’t bother him in the slightest. The dark-haired boy followed after, head immediately soaked with moisture as water drizzled down; he didn’t mind too much, though, as his mind was entirely focused on Shorter Wong, who had stepped a few feet ahead of him before turning around to say goodbye.

All the sudden, Eiji couldn’t find any room in his lungs for air.

The following scene happened in slow motion: Shorter turned around fully, facing Eiji with a casual, cool-ass smile on his lips, rain drops stuck to the outside of his sunglasses. The image was burning into Eiji’s memory fiercely, forcing him to recognize the stripes of neon color flashing over Shorter’s tall body, reds and blues and greens clashing with the piece of purple mohawk sticking out from under his hood; a particularly pinkish light reflected off the silver studs pierced into his eyebrow, further pointing at the smooth skin tone and muscle hidden beneath it. No one else existed in their dark little world, no one cutting into the scene behind Shorter or the street across from them—Eiji stared with his lips peeking open in awe, never having witnessed such a stunning act of beauty before. Not even in the _movies_ had he seen something so raw and real. Rain poured down around them in a stormy fashion, pelting Eiji with drop after drop, but he still heard Shorter loud and clear as that grinning mouth opened again.

“I’ll see you around, Eiji Okumura.” He smiled coolly.

“Y-Yeah…see you, Shorter,” The other boy all-but whispered.

Shorter’s hand went half-way up in a wave goodbye before he turned around and walked in the opposite direction, stomping across the wet sidewalk. Eiji stood in the rain for a long moment after, a stupid little smile on his lips as he watched Chinatown’s mafia boss disappear into the night, heart beating not quickly, but loud enough it went in time with the beat of the raindrops.

_And they thought I’d never last._

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be three chaps of utter fluff and other awesome stuff but I HATE MY OWN ASS AND CANNOT WRITE LATELY
> 
> I’ve really not been happy with my writing as of late (can you say writer’s crisis?) but thanks for reading hashtag I LOVE SHORTER WONG and go check out my other BF fanfic, a oneshot telling of the background to Shorter and Ash's friendship in reform school! It's super sweet and bad ass.


End file.
